Tasmania Itinerary
 

As part of a business trip to Australia we're planning to vacation in Tasmania in mid- to late-November. We enjoy nature; easy-to-moderate hikes; wildlife; beautiful scenery.

Any suggestions for an itinerary--and a good amount of time to spend? This will be the last stop at the end of a long trip. How long would you recommend to see the scenic highlights without rushing to check things off the list? I know it's big--and I'd rather not spend all my time driving.

Thanks!

Oh man Songdoc, here you go torturing me again!

Funnily enough when I was planning our first trip to TAS, I consulted with an Australian friend, who reckoned we only needed a few days to see it. He could not have been more wrong.

We've made two trips to TAS, spending about two weeks each time, and we still want to go back.

TAS is pretty small, but there's lots to see and do, particularly for those of us who love the outdoors.

I have a couple of trip reports here that might give you some ideas...they're really old, but the itineraries might give you an idea of possible driving routes and what you can accomplish within a certain timeframe.

http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...rip-report.cfm


http://www.fodors.com/community/aust...t-wild-tas.cfm

Do not miss Cradle Mountain!

WOW, Melnq8! Those were some serious reports!!! Thanks so much.

I'm guessing we'll spend around a week. Will have to sort through all the info and prioritize.

Again, MUCH appreciated.

PS. <Oh man Songdoc, here you go torturing me again!>

Well, then to make the torture complete I'll add that before we leave for NZ (in October), I'll be in the Canadian wilderness (British Columbia) then six weeks in Kauai. Had a great trip to Ireland and Italy (Venice, Florence, Tuscany) in March.

I like my crazy life!!!

You can check out my trip reports as well. We have spent 11 weeks in total and only doubled up on a few days.

Five days and you can see the highlights and only be slightly rushed. Seven is better, ten would be great. Seven is what you have so you will be able to see the highlights and some other gems as well.

Low Head Penguins is a must do. It is about an hour out of Launceston and you will get within reach of the penguins.

We love Hartz Mountain and Mt Field National Parks.
The board walk at Cradle Mountain is lovely and easy. When at Cradle take the free shuttle bus and enjoy the views.

Let us know when you have specific questions.

Some things not to miss in Tasmania: Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) catch the ferry from Hobart, the restaurant Garagistes also in Hobart, Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery (TMAG) there's a show of one of the most important Tasmania photographers Pat Brassington (think though it finishes in September).

Port Arthur for convict history, you could easily spend the day there. Richmond and Ross are also interesting places to visit for convict history.

National Parks not to miss: Cradle Mountain, Wine Glass Bay, Narawntapu National Park (guaranteed views of wombats, not far from Launceston)

http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/indeX.aspX?base=3665

For Wilderness, a Gordon river cruise from Strahan. http://www.gordonrivercruises.com.au/

I would highly recommend a visit to Corinna in conjunction with maybe Cradle Mountain. The accommodation and food are of a high standard, there is a good range of walks, a choice of 2 river cruises and lots of wildlife - wallabies and possums visit every day/night.

You could fly into Devonport or Launceston, see Cradle Mountain, drive to Corinna and then cross the Pieman River on the barge and head to Strahan.

Photos from our Easter 2014 trip are at https://picasaweb.google.com/Treepol...naAndNorthwest

This is such great info -- and Treepol, your pix are gorgeous!!!

But I'm confused about the comment about flying into Devonport or Launceston ...
Are you suggesting we fly within Tasmania? Or are you saying to fly into Devonport or Launceston instead of Hobart?

You could fly open jaw into Hobart and out of Devonport or Launceston or vice versa to avoid backtracking. We actually did northern and southern Tasmania on two separate trips as there is a lot to cover. One week trying to do both may feel rushed.

Nice pics, Treepol!

They are gorgeous pics, Treepol. Thanks for posting them.

Songdoc, nice to see you're planning a ramble around our beautiful island. I'm sure you'll be enchanted.

Incredible photos Treepol!

Great pics, Treepol! Corrine looks great, particularly your accommodation there. I liked the northwest a lot, we stayed at Stanley. The food was amazing Cape Grim beef and fresh crayfish!

Thanks for the kind comments everyone.

Songdoc, I was thinking if you flew into Devonport from Melbourne, picked up a car at the airport and went to Cradle, then drove to Corinna via Waratah, then across on the barge to Strahan and then drive to Hobart. This will give you prime walking and wildlife destinations.

I'm not a big fan of Cradle, haven't been there for years. November is usually OK, but Cradle is in the highlands and prone to unseasonal weather at any time of the year. The drive to Corinna through Waratah is an adventure in itself. Waratah is a very old mining town with a waterfall right in the town. This year I thought the rainforest was just waiting for the right moment to reclaim the narrow, gravel road that finally arrives in Corinna.

2-3 nights Corinna (Chalet 25 is very new and backs onto the rainforest) to do some walks and maybe a cruise, or you could leave the cruise until you get to Strahan and spend 2-3 nights there. The trip on the Abt railway from Queenstown is also worth doing if you have the time. Its a long drive to Hobart from Strahan, allow all day with a couple of stops - there is the walk to Nelson Falls and also the walk to Donaghys Lookout. If you have time you could overnight at Lake St Clair which is the southern point of the Cradle Mountain NP.

I'm not sure how much time you have but you could spend up to a week in Hobart sightseeing in the city and surrounds. Port Arthur of course, the Huon Valley (try a rustic lunch at My slice of pie), Dover and Police Point and Orford via the Wielangta Forest Drive.

Alternatively, you could spend the time in the northwest and visit Cradle, Corinna and Stanley. I recommend Stamps of Stanley for accommodation and dinner at Xanders of Stanley, just along the street.

Thank you SO much for this incredible info. FYI, we'll be flying to Tasmania from Sydney--not doing Melbourne on this trip. We LOVE Melbourne, the Grampians, and the GOR -- but we've done them twice.

The number of days we spend in TAS will be partly determined by the availability of frequent flyer flights. We're guessing 8 - 10 nights.

We're interested in scenery, hikes, and parks -- not cities or museums. (And, we'll have already been working in Auckland, Wellington, Sydney, and Brisbane. So we'll have our fill of cities.)

With that in mind, how much time do you recommend in Hobart? Is that somewhere we should base for day trips?

Again, thanks so much!

If you are not that interested in cities or museums then maybe skip Hobart and fly in and out of Launceston and do the west of Tasmania. There are some incredibly cheap airfares at the moment, I just got a Jetstar flight Sydney to Launceston for $45 for a conference later this year, so if you sign up for their specials you may not need to rely on frequent flyer points. You just need to watch their endless efforts on the booking website to add things on.

Skipping Hobart would mean missing Port Arthur, the ruins of a convict settlement. It is a place that holds great significance for Australians but may not have the same resonance for an International tourist. In any case, if you go to Strahan the river trip takes in Sarah Island which is another convict site, although there's nothing much left there.

Thanks, Susan7. That's good info. We've been to convict settlements in other countries and appreciated them. But for us, the reason to visit Tasmania is the scenery and nature. So maybe skipping Hobart would be a good idea for us. This might all change if I wind up working a day in Hobart--but I'm still waiting to hear about that.

FYI, we're not using FF miles for flights within Australia, New Zealand, or between the two; just to fly from Nashville to New Zealand--and from Tasmania back to Nashville. But I will sign up for Jetstar's specials. That's a great idea. Thanks, again!!!

Hobart makes a good base from which to see Mt Field National Park Songdoc, as well as Mt Wellington and the Huon Valley.

I'd suggest at least a few days in Hobart.

Personally, I'd forego Launceston, unless just to fly in and out of as it's much less interesting than Hobart (to me anway).

If you do end up in Hobart, MONA is worth a visit even if you aren't into museums.

We really enjoyed Bruny Island.

I like Susan7s suggestion to skip Hobart and concentrate on the west, this will meet your main interests and give you a leisurely look around a very scenic part of Tasmania. There is good accommodation and excellent food in the northwest and west!

The more I read and research, the more confused and concerned I get. Is the weather really as bad as it seems?

I read this online about Cradle Mountain:

On average it is cloudy here on 294 days per year. Rain falls an average 275 days per year. And if you are lucky and it's sunny when you visit, you have arrived on one of the 32 sunny days per year.
* * *

I’m not sure I like those odds—even though November is historically one of the less rainy months! Are some areas less rainy than others? With it being all about scenery, photography, nature and hiking, I'm really worried about the rain. I read the average number of clear days is (4) per month at Cradle Mountain.

Corinna looks beautiful—but I read it rains an average of (18) days in November. Mt. Field shows an average of (15.6) rainy days per month in November.

On the north shore of Kauai, where I spend a lot of time, it rains almost every day—but it’s a typically a brief shower—or the rain comes at night. It’s not as if it’s pouring all day. Do you think that’s the kind of rain these figures are referring to?

Still haven't decided about Hobart, but the airfares might help make our decision.

Turns out that because of an additional business engagement, we'll be flying to TAS from Brisbane. Brisbane to Hobart is $127 pp; Brisbane to Launceston is $140 pp; Brisbane to Devonport is $323 pp. agghh!

I trust this will all work out and that it will be a great trip. But at the moment, I’m still a bit flustered! Thanks for all your help.

We spent 3 nights at Cradle in winter and had alternating rain, snow, fog and sun. It's a temperate rainforest. Reminded me of Olympic National Park.

Here are my pics from our two trips -

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZNnDlk5YtmbHWg

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZNnDlk5YtmbHeA

Patty: WOW!!! Your pix are stunning. I LOVE the wildlife shots. I assume you didn't pick up a wild wombat! Were you at a wildlife park? Where was that? And was that an albino kangaroo in the wild???

Is there someplace you'd recommend to stay at (or near) Cradle Mountain?

Thanks so much for sharing the pix!!! I'm getting excited!!!

Thanks! Some of the pics were taken at sanctuaries and others were in the wild. I tried to caption where they were taken. The first link has pics from http://trowunna.com.au/ and http://www.devilsatcradle.com/ and pics taken in the wild at Narawntapu, Cradle and Warrawee. The second link has pics from http://bonorong.com.au/ and pics taken in the wild on Bruny Island and in the Huon Valley. The albino wallabies can be found near Adventure Bay on Bruny Island. There were many albinos there.

We stayed in a cabin at http://www.cradlehighlander.com.au/ which I can recommend. http://www.cradlemountainlodge.com.au/ also looked nice and is the closest, most convenient to trails.

We'd been told the same about Cradle Mountain Songdoc, so yes, the odds are against you. We got lucky - two back-to-back sunny days at Cradle Mountain (in November).

Not so lucky when we visited the St Lake Clair side of Cradle Mountain though - rain, rain, rain (in March).

I’ve now learned that we’ll be limited to (10) nights – because we plan to use frequent flyer miles – and there are no flights available after Dec. 4th. So … with all your input--and a bit of research on my own--I’ve put together a couple of tentative itineraries and would love to get your expert opinions.

As a reminder … our interests are primarily scenery, natural beauty, and nature walks/moderate hikes. No interest in wineries. (We don’t drink—but did have a wonderful lunch at a winery in Tuscany in a stunning location!)

OPTION #1:

Mon., Nov. 24th – fly from Brisbane to Launceston or Hobart (if we start with the East Coast, the drive is about the same distance)

(2 nights) East Coast near Freycinet –Bicheno? Swansea? Coles Bay?)
Or ???

Launceston (1 night) Visit Cataract Gorge

drive to Stanley (2:43)

Stanley (2 nights) climb the Nut; possible river cruise/guided nature walk; possible cruise to the seals

2 nights Cradle Mountain

Strahan (2 or how many nights? Which river cruise?)

Drive Strahan to Hobart (4 hours) OR – take one night from Strahan – and stay 1 night somewhere between Strahan and Hobart?

Overnight in Hobart (1 nt)
Fly out of Hobart Dec. 4th

OPTION #2 (eliminate the east coast)

Fly into Launceston (1 night) Visit Cataract Gorge
(it would cost almost $300 more for the two of us to fly into Devonport—or we would do that.)

drive to Stanley (2:43)

Stanley (2 nights) climb the Nut; possible river cruise/guided nature walk; possible cruise to the seals

3 nights Cradle Mountain

Strahan (2 or how many nights? Which river cruise?)

Drive Strahan to Hobart – OR – take one night from someplace else (where?) and stay 1 night somewhere between Strahan and Hobart?

Overnight in Hobart (1 or 2 nts)
(if 2 nights, visit Bonorong wildlife sanctuary)

Fly out of Hobart Dec. 4th

Thanks SO much for all your help!!!!

I've become a big fan of Launceston, after initially not being that keen on it. The Gorge is great and there are quite a few walks there.

Visit the Tamar Island bird sanctuary with stunning views of the Tamar river. http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/file.aspx?id=19983

I liked Hotel Charles in Launceston.

Also, as I mentioned above about an hour's drive from Launceston, is Narawntapu National Park.

I'd suggest only one night in Stanley, unless you want to do one of the longer walks in Rocky Cape National Park. Ditto for Strahan, it's my least favourite place to stay in Tasmania. I'd have an overnight at Lake St Clair on the way to Hobart, there are great cabins:

http://www.lakestclairlodge.com.au/

Susan7 -- Thanks so much. This sounds like some great suggestions. I like the idea of the bird sanctuary, Narawntapu National Park, and an overnight in Lake St. Claire.

I'm thinking if we take a night away from Strahan and a night away from Stanley, we could spend a night near Narawntapu National Park--so we'd be there at dusk for the best wildlife spotting. We could spend the other night at Lake St. Claire.

I prefer staying more than one night in places--but there's so much to see, this might be the best solution. Our only 2-night stays would be the east coast and Cradle Mountain.

Don't miss the penguin tour at Stanley.

There isn't much in terms of accommodations right near Narawntapu except camping in the park. We stayed here http://www.sailsonportsorell.com.au/ which was about a 20 min drive away.

Melnq8:
We're not sure about the penguins because we had the most incredible penguin experience--and I'm not sure anything else would even come close. We went to Phillp Island (as a day trip from Melbourne) and we probably saw 1,000 or more penguins close enough to touch! It was INCREDIBLE -- especially as it was mating season--and they weren't shy!!! OMG.

Patty: I wonder if, after a day in Launceston, it might make more sense of us to leave Narawntapu after our walk at dusk and continue on to overnight in Devonport or Burnie.

Since there have been no comments about the proposed itineraries, I'm guessing they seem to work. I'm leaning toward including the east coast.

Thanks, again!

Strange as it seems, we are spending Christmas in Stanley and a total of 5 days. The north is the part of Tassie we really haven't seen, so we're starting there - Mel,go to the penguins there or the Low Head Penguins in the Tamar Valley? Songdoc, we've done the Gordon River cruise out of Strahan - in winter, and it was spectacular. I think we only spent one night there - then back to Hobart. No real place to stay in between. If you have enough time, absolutely go to Bonorong.

Long time no see oliverandharry!

We'd planned to take a penguin tour in Bicheno, but cancelled due to the incredibly crappy weather. We got a second chance while in Stanley, where we booked with Wilderness to West Coast - we saw several Fairy penguins, some right at our feet, but nothing near the numbers that Songdoc saw at Phillip Island.

I'm not familiar with Low Head Penguins in the Tamar Valley.

You could easily do a day trip from Launceston to Narawntapu. The wombats come to feed on old pastures right near the car park at all times of the day, so it's not essential to visit at dusk.

Burnie would be my pick of those two places. It has an art deco architecture trail.

Just a correction, there is a place to stay between Strahan and Hobart. The other end of the Overland Trail, Lake St Clair. See cabin information above.

More places to see penguins http://www.think-tasmania.com/little...n-in-tasmania/

Thanks so much!!!
I feel like this is really coming together--thanks to the help I've gotten on this forum.

If you're still finalizing your itinterary, Songdoc, take a look at Bruny Island south of Hobart and the Huon Valley. We did a wonderful day trip down there with Bruny Island cruises. I'm coming up on trip #5 and there's still so much to see!

Thanks so much oliverandharry--and everyone else who is helping!!

Here’s my latest revised itinerary. The numbers in parentheses are the estimated length of the drive according to a website. Of course, I should probably multiply these times by a factor of at least three because I’m an avid photographer. It took me 8 hours to drive a “two-hour” section of the Great Ocean Road!

My question is whether it’s worth the almost-3-hour drive to spend one night in Stanley. If I take that night away—where you you suggest that I add it?

Thoughts??? Thanks SO much!!!

Mon., Nov. 24th – fly from Brisbane to Hobart
BNE 9:10AM – nonstop – Hobart 1 PM

East Coast near Freycinet –Bicheno? Swansea? Coles Bay?) (2:25)
(2 nights)

Launceston (2:30 via Campbell Town; 3:30 via Scottsdale) (1 night) Visit Cataract Gorge; the Tamar Island bird sanctuary; Narawntapu National Park

(Question: do you recommend one of the referenced routes above -- over the other?)

drive to Stanley (2:43)

Stanley (1 night) climb the Nut; possible river cruise/guided nature walk;

(2:17) to Cradle Mountain 2 nights

Strahan (1 night) (2:06)

Drive Strahan to Lake Claire (1) night

(2:30 to Hobart)

Overnight in Hobart (2 nt)
Visit bonorong wildlife park and Bruny Island

Looking forward to your thoughts!!!

As I think of it, we probably did two nights in Strahan because of the timing of the Gordon River cruises - you may want to check that. Any chance one of your Hobart days is a Saturday? Wonderful street market in Salamanca Place every weekend - it's one of the hits of our trips. I don't know I'd go to Stanley for only 1 night - it's a ways. We are staying at an eco-resort on the beach and wanted to stay put over Christmas. On the east coast you will find more in Swansea than in Bicheno, although we like the nature park there.

Thanks so much for the great info and suggestions. Unfortunately, there's no chance of a Saturday in Hobart, and we love street markets. :-( Saturday will be right in the middle of our ten-day loop. But last year, we got to go to the incredible Eumundi market on the Sunshine Coast.

I'm leaning heavily toward skipping Stanley -- unless I get feedback that it should not be missed. I don't love driving -- and we'll already be doing quite a bit of it.

By adding a night to Strahan, we can arrive late in the day; do the cruise the following day; and leave the next morning. That sounds like a good plan!!!

Does anyone disagree???

Sounds like a good plan to me Songdoc.